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Milestone map
3 milestones
Plan your story: the main character, the problem they face, and how it resolves
2–4 days
Before writing a word of the story itself, produce a story plan that maps out three things: who the main character is and what they want, what problem or conflict stands between them and what they want, and how that conflict is resolved by the end. The plan can be a few paragraphs, a bullet-point outline, or a scene-by-scene list — whatever format lets you see the whole arc before you start. The goal is not to make the plan perfect but to have answered the three questions so you do not lose track of where the story is going when you are deep in the middle. A story plan that only describes the character without naming their problem or the resolution is not finished.
Proof required
In a short document or written submission: describe your main character and what they want, the core problem or conflict they face, and how the story resolves. Your plan should be detailed enough that someone else could follow it to write the story without asking you clarifying questions.
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Write a complete first draft of at least 1,000 words
2–3 weeks
Write the complete short story from first scene to last scene, following (or diverging from) the plan you made in milestone 1. The first draft must reach at least 1,000 words and must have a beginning, middle, and end — it cannot stop in the middle of the conflict or cut off before the resolution. The draft does not need to be polished: awkward sentences, unclear passages, and thin sections are all normal at this stage and will be addressed in revision. What matters is that the complete story exists on the page. If you diverge from the plan, note in a brief paragraph what changed and why — plan deviations are often a sign of good writing instincts, not failure.
Proof required
Submit: (1) the complete first draft document (minimum 1,000 words, all three acts present — beginning, middle, end), and (2) a one-paragraph author's note explaining what was hardest to write in the draft and whether you deviated from the plan.
What gets checked
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Powstik Guide
A complete first draft of 1,000 words or more.
Steps
Template
Word count: Beginning ☐ Middle ☐ End ☐ One thing to fix:
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Revise and share — submit the final document or link
1–2 weeks
Read the draft once, identify the two or three biggest issues (not typos — structural gaps, unclear motivations, scenes that drag), and revise with those issues as your focus. Then share the revised story publicly or with an audience beyond yourself: post it on a class blog, submit it to a school anthology, share it in a creative writing community, or send it to a teacher or writing group for feedback. The sharing is as important as the revision: writing that stays in a private folder has not yet done what writing does — it has not encountered a reader. Submit the final document link and include the name or URL of where you shared it.
Proof required
Submit: (1) the final revised story as a shareable document link, (2) a one-paragraph revision note naming the two or three issues you found in the draft and what you changed to address them, and (3) where the story was shared — a URL, a teacher's name, a community name, or a submission confirmation.
What gets checked
Common mistakes
Resources
Foundationstart here
Depthgo deeper
Masteryfor the dedicated
What a verifier looks for
You'll sign in first, then come straight back here.